The Lemmon household is getting ready to move. While packing I was reminded of all the things in my house. Opening some closets and cabinets felt like Christmas morning, because I had no idea what treasures I might find. Books, games, calculators, and musical instruments all got boxed up as I look forward to using them in the new house. I noticed how some of things I’m packing were getting worn out. This made me think about replacing them with a better version. I also found plenty of junk that I haven’t used in years. It felt good to donate it or throw it away to make space for new things. I could have just boxed everything up and moved it to the new house, but there is value in spending the time to go through it all.

In today’s information age with anything you could possibly want to know just a search away it’s easy to feel like we know everything. We’ve become experts in every field as no information is out of our reach and we never have to say “I don’t know”. But the truth is there’s still plenty we don’t know and there are things even Google can’t teach us. When we reach these moments of uncertainty it’s important to be able to admit that you don’t know to turn a moment of ignorance into a moment of learning.

We've all been invited to brainstorming sessions where you walk into a board room with white walls a big conference table and probably a chart pad or white board on the wall. The host then says we need BIG ideas - okay, go...crickets...crickets. Someone finally speaks up - throws out an idea and it is immediately shot down for a million different reasons. A few more ideas might be tossed around, but it all ends the same - everyone is bored and frustrated and no one feels like the problem was actually solved. If you are lucky the host tried to be "creative" and might of brought a few Nerf guns and possibly some other toys to make everyone feel even more "creative." No matter what it ended in the same way a few ideas, nothing anyone is that excited about and everyone goes back to their daily lives thinking I hate brainstorming.

An article I read this morning was a "wake up call". Folks, the world is chaining much faster than we think. The result is fantastic opportunities for those who embrace both the Art and Science of innovation.

McKinsey research finds that 80% of CEOs say that innovation is key. However, only 20% day their company does it well.

Sadly - a little while ago I came to the conclusion that I was part of the problem. For nearly 40 years my Eureka! Ranch team and my books have been focused on encouraging everyone to innovate like the 15% of adults who are “right brain creativity / design zealots.”

I WAS WRONG. IT DOESN”T WORK. The 85% who are “Left Brain Logical” will not change.

If you want to learn more - Join me for a LIVE webinar this Friday - February 16 at 1:00 EST. If you can’t make it at that time - sign up anyways and we’ll send you a link to watch the webinar on your own time.

It is getting to be award time around the entertainment world. And there are awards also being handed out in the intellectual property world. (Ok, maybe not the BEST bridge in subjects, but most of that entertainment stuff is protected by intellectual property.)

The US Chamber of Commerce recently released its annual Global IP Index for 2018.

The Chamber provides this index as "a blueprint for countries seeking to become true knowledge-based economies through an effective intellectual property (IP) architecture. Every individual economy represents a blank canvas, with policymakers using broad strokes in the form of IP policy to paint their country’s innovative and creative futures."

We all do it. We are faced with a challenge and we come up with an idea to solve that challenge and from the moment the idea is born we fall in love with it…just like a baby or a puppy. We all think our idea is perfect, beautiful, and is THE idea, the one that will solve the challenge and make the world a better place. I'm personally guilty of this.

“If you are not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you've launched too late”

Some of us hear this quote by Reid Hoffman, the founder of LinkedIn, and totally agree. You have no trouble putting your ego aside, because you know that you will learn from this version and the next version will be even better. However, you are in the minority.

When we’re in school deadlines are all over the place: tests, projects due, homework due, get to class on time, midterms, finals; everywhere you look you find deadlines. But once we get out into the business world deadlines can start to disappear and become a lot more fluid. This is especially true when it comes to innovation and we approach the unknown. Even when we lack the structure and venture into the unknown deadlines are still important and here’s three reasons you should use them, even with innovation.

Deadlines force you to make decisions. When you have a deadline coming up be it anything from a trade show to a review meeting with your board of directors deadlines force you to a conclusion. They force you to make decisions and help prevent you from arguing over something that doesn’t matter for weeks on end.